Forum Post: Avaaz.org - The World in Action - 1 key to success of Occupy movement. Want to change the world? Do it right now right here.
Posted 12 years ago on March 9, 2012, 7:54 a.m. EST by therising
(6643)
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This site could be a one key to the future success of the worldwide Occupy movement:
avaaz is great, definitely check it out.
Very professionally done. They're on to something big.
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Excellent.
You heard it here, folks. Another tool in the old toolbox of change.
Couldn't occupy use their model? I mean -- look what they've accomplished!!!!
I didn't see a lot of US stuff on there, does OWS need to own it? or join it?
Both things are good, I think. This is the beginning of real empowerment to transform the world! Ditto therising!
I think the two big parts are truth and people driven decisions, if we have those two things I think we will get it right.
I think we all should join and I also think we should simultaneously emulate here in US.
I think so too, I do think that the US people can play a big part in bringing pressure to the causes list on Avaaz, but we are so large that a separate site could make sense what do you know about their site? Is there country areas where you can find local stuff you can act on? I hate to see us splinter at all, at the same time I don't want anybody dictating what gets put up front, if it is people driven I think it can really do the most good.
There is also an American site, not so successful yet, but very promising, where people can create their own petitions. It's called change,org.
This one I know about, more petition driven as I remember, they both are of course.
You may have picked up from some of my posts, I feel strongly that there are a lot of things that just don't get talked about, but on a fundamental level, I want a place to talk about the broad things that are common to almost all people. I feel these things have been corrupted by the right, and the left gets lost in the details, or more correctly loses their intended audiences in the details.
I like the citizen reporting, with a Google like selection process, but I’m not sure that’s what they have, I need to learn more.
I think Occupy could use a separate site LIKE www.avaaz.org but that we should still participate and link to avaaz.org
I think I agree, I have not studied their site enough to know the model, that's on me not you, but a site focused on wealth inequality and money in politics, supported by OWS, would make a lot of sense. I hope I'm not overstating when I say that those two things seem to be the common threads, throughout OWS, and I'm not trying to limit or set anything for anybody, I'm just talking.
I tend to want to link through here, not that I don't go other places; I just like this one, if the people who run this site could be asked to consider it for inclusion. I don't know if there is a method to change this site.
I hope we as a movement can embrace what works while sticking to core principles.
I do too. I really hope we can take control back and move things in the direction of greater fairness, if we don't I really do fear where this path, of increasing personal wealth for a few, leads us.
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I think it would be a very good idea to connect people to the movement, and give them something to really do to forward the movement as well. So many people agree with us, but just feel helpless. Many simply acn't take the time to get actively involved, for obvious reasons. Anything we can to to tie them in, and give them a feeling of empowerment is fantastic.
I completely agree. There is so much pent up energy. So many people ready and willing to help if the occupy movement offers them ways to do so. I think the site www.avaaz.com offers a good example of how large groups of people could be mobilized to help in their own way. Let's put that energy to work. Can't occupy build a similar site? I'm picturing targeted boycotts as one example.
this is the correct link: http://www.avaaz.org/en/
Well, I'm not a technocrat, but I think if we don't do this and do it well, we may very well be left behind by these organizations who are already accomplishing a lot of positive change.
I'm not saying this is a competition, but I really feel we should transform all the latent energy in this movement into as many tangible achievements as possible by every means.
So yeah, I agree with you. I would be involved myself right now If I had any computer know-how.
No need to have a computer know how, all you need is to know how to type, and express your ideas and concerns, which you and others already do very well in here, other people can take care of the computer know how. I'm ready when you guys are....The sky is the limit, wanna go for a ride? I've been discussing this with a friend, and the format of ideas exchange, has to be different than how it is done here in the forums. But that is something thay can not be discussed here in the forums, as it is, the enemy has many advantages, no need to help him out. Send me a private message if interested. BC
This would be huge if we could harness that energy.
I'll look into it. The key to success is unity. Any group as long as they are united, can achieve amazing results.k BC
This is a new and very powerful model for activism. Clearly, it is not a substitute for all of the other things we are doing. It cannot become an excuse to just cop out and feel good, but neither should we deny the proven success of such a relatively painless way to acomplish the change we so desperately seek.
I think there is something within us all that wants a fight - if not a violent one - at least a real confrontation; but when you step back and look at it objectively this generation has already taken a lot of fight to them, more than any in the last century, and the ultimate satisfaction will be not in the battle, but the victory.
Please join avaaz.org.
What they've accomplished with this is incredible. We should follow their model or simply join in. Maybe both.
I'm ready if you are. I can set up a website as a pilot project and we can test it out before going live. Send me a private message and let's discuss privately. BC
That would be a great contribution! It could also advance our sense of unity and communication, as well as accomplishment! I'd love to see what you could come up with. I'm afraid it has to be pretty slick though, a lot of eye candy and bells and whistles, or it would run the risk of making us look amaturish. How about getting the CUNY computer dept. grad students involved. I'm sure they're not to busy going to school ful- time and working two jobs to pay off their indentured servency to Golgman Sachs to get involved!
Well, one can always dream anyway.
Any sincere help is appreciated. The one thing to keep in mind when doing something of this scale is that it has to be done in a way that not one person is indispensable, what I mean by that, is that a project such as this can not have that one person who directs everything, we all have to be of one common goal, one mind. That way if one person goes " missing " for whatever reason, the movement does not stop. If we look at the civil rights movement, after Dr MLK was gone nobody else stepped up like he did. What we need is a group of people where all of us are involved and all of us carry the same message. This way we can avoid the sheep being scattered once the shepherd is smitten. I already set up the pilot website, just need to tweak it a little. No bells or whistles though I believe in simplicity, and also in " less is more". God bless.
Thank you! I'm sure others will come on board in short order.
What I have in mind and perhaps others can give me their opinion, is to have a site dedicated to the exposures of ideas and means on how to achieve the goals we have in common, then we can bring them to a place as this one or bring them to the attention of the management of OWS, kinda like a site called xyz.org where LIKEMINDED people can have honest discussions about " what's next? ", not nescesarily with a large number of people, but with a number of people who speak the same language ( if you know what I mean ), this way we can avoid distractions and come up with techniques and unity in a more uniform way. Like I said before, I already have setup a pilot site before going live, so a few can test it out and shape it in a more effective way. Time to put our money where our mouths are. ( Of course this has nothing to do with money in this case ) One thing that I have learned from being a Christian preacher, is that to deliver a message effectively, one has to subtract himself or herself from the problem, meaning I can not preach to you against beating your wife if I am beating mine own wife, or preach against stealing if I am a thief myself. therefore to preach against dishonesty, corruption and greed I have to distance myself from any chance I might have at being influenced by the same (Dishonesty, corruption and greed ), so if we decide to do this, we must do it ourselves without anybody " financially contributing" to our cause, so that nobody has a power over us. Allow me to elaborate on this. When we preach, we do not take collections, we do not accept the so called tithes and offerings, cause all this is against the teachings of the bible ( I will not engage any discussions on this, here, I have also debated this with so called bible schollars and they all run once the proof is presented, so there is no debate on this. ) this freedom from financial dependance on the listener, gives me the opportunity to speak or preach the message regardless if they like it or not, since I do not depend financially on them. Therefore, for a group to be a force, it has to be self sustained, so that nobody can cut or eliminate the group's livelyhood. In a capitalist system it is not hard to see what the blood of that system is ( CAPITAL - ist ), if you control the flow of this blood, you control the life of this system. There is no need to destroy a system if the PEOPLE, not a selected FEW, control it. We all have an opprotunity to hew out something new from something old, I don't think it will take decades or lifetimes, I think it will take as long as we want it to take, We can act now or leave it to our children. Keeping in mind that the opressor has you oppressed cause he wants you there, nobody opresses people whom he wants to be free. What will our children say once we are gone? Will they call us cowards? or will they say, our fathers and mothers did what was needed at the time it was needed, without procrastinating or running to hide under the skirts of fear and caution? As Dr king said before " There comes a time when silence is betrayal.." We will be betraying our own children and their children if we do not do what we are called to do on this, our our to speak and peacefully revolt. God bless.
I will have to respond to this in more depth when I an able. Very interesting and imprtant.
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